This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order
presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution
to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about
permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

From the devastating opening monologue of “Living Undocumented,” this six-episode documentary look at people living without status in the U.S. is designed to put a human face on the struggles that thousands of people are facing.

Designed to tug at the heartstrings, this series features eight families that have agreed to go in front of the cameras and tell their stories, likely further jeopardizing their situations in some cases. What emerges are portraits of people who may see themselves as American, but now must deal with the current administration’s hardline stance against people who have entered the U.S. illegally.

There is a good spectrum among the stories, showing the various ways people have entered, and are stuck in a Byzantine system of rules and regulations that there are no sure paths out of.

There’s Ron and his family — he’s a successful businessman from Israel who entered on a tourist visa and never left. There’s Kenia, who is pregnant and is deported back to Honduras, but quickly returns to seek asylum. There’s Maria and Miguel, who fled gang violence in Mexico, but are agonized when they are separated from their 12-year-old niece as part of the family-separation policies.

While there is plenty of Trump-bashing — and in particular is the wife of a woman who’s former service member husband voted for him — the doc does a good job looking at previous administrations who also contributed to the situation. That said, ICE is the villain here, and one of the best moments come when Luis, Kenia’s boyfriend, is ensnared by authorities when he wants to spend what he thinks are their last moments together. Like cartoonish villains, the agents assault one of his lawyers.

Many of those profiled are not perfect — they have made mistakes, or screwed up at some point on their immigration journey, although there are some situations that seem incredibly unfair. There are also several monologues from young and teenage children which truly express the limbo of these people, that hit particularly hit hard.

Canada is also prominently mentioned in the story of Tyler and Eddie, as the latter entered the U.S. when he was 14 from Mexico, and cannot prove whether or not he said he falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen at the time, on offence subject to a lifetime ban. With no way to move forward, the couple decide to emigrate to Toronto.

“Living Undocumented” was executive produced by Selena Gomez, and is an example of how many celebrities are pushing their pet causes to help fill the maw of streaming services for content. It has high production values, and is very effective in what its trying to do. Whether it can change minds is another question altogether, and it doesn’t offer any real solutions, not there are any easy ones.

Rhythm + Flow (Netflix)

Four episodes reviewed, more released weekly

Netflix will leave no genre unturned, even ones that seem like they shouldn’t work on the service, but TV is TV, and the service’s first experiment into music-competition shows works surprisingly well.

Get more of what matters in your inbox

Start your morning with everything you need to know, and nothing you don't. Sign up for First Up, the Star's new daily email newsletter.

Executive produced by John Legend, the three main judges in this rap talent hunt are Chance the Rapper, Cardi B and Tip “T.I.” Harris. and all use their impressive iPhone contacts lists to bring in a Who’s Who of the genre’s glitterati, with appearances from Snoop Dogg, DJ Khaled and many more, including the late Nipsey Hussle. Some of the best moments are the small asides between hip-hop superstars, and even rap haters will be impressed by the knowledge they pass onto the unknowns. The series opens in L.A. with a bittersweet moment with Hussle, who was gunned down shortly after this was filmed.

While the format of this is familiar — profiles of the hungry up-and-comers, make-or-break auditions, training sessions and judgments from the stars — there are some interesting add-ons: There is a look at some of the regional rap history and differences, and the lack of censorship is welcome — there are plenty of folks who take advantage of it.

The three hosts have good chemistry, and while Chance comes off as a super-nice guy as usual, if there is someone whose star rises ever higher, it’s Cardi B. She’s a quote machine, cutting down wannabe rappers to size with hilarious quips. We really are just along for her ride as she’s living her “Best Life.”

This will roll out over the next three weeks, with the auditions launched with the first four episodes, followed by battles and music videos next week, and finally, a proper stage show in the final week. These things tend to get tiresome over time, but this feels fresh. Being the first hip-hop show would likely have been enough to make this different, but all the great pieces adds up to something really fun.

Raju Mudhar is a Toronto-based reporter covering popular culture at the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @rajumudhar

More from The Star & Partners

More Entertainment

Top Stories

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All
rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is
expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto
Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of
Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com